Electric switch



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

H. K. HITCHCOCK.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

mpwwwy (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet H. K. HITCHCOCK.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Pateted Apr. 26, 1892.

www@ S596 (Zaag,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HALBERT K. HITCHCOCK, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO CHAS. TV. KELLOGG, CF BROCKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,504, dated April 26, 1892.

Application led September 16, 1891. Serial No. 405,848. (No model.)

.To all whom, it may concern: l

Beitknown that I, HALBEET K. HITCHCOCK, of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented an Improvement in Electric Switches, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts. My invention relates to an electric switch which may be employed for making connection between an electric circuit to be supplied with current and any desired one of several electric generators, it being especially useful in connection with generators of alternating currents. The switch comprises a number of sets of stationary contacts of spring-sockets, a pair of movable connectors, and an actuator or handle for moving said connectors, so as to cause them to engage with and make the desired connection between any desired set of spring-sockets or to be moved so as to sever such connection. The spring-sockets and the two connectors are so arranged with relation to one'another that the movement of the actuator that throws one connector into engage ment with the desired set of spring-sockets also throws the other connector out of'engagement with the spring-sockets with which it has been engaged, the construction being such that in the continuous movement of the actuator the disengagement between the previously-engaged sockets and connector is effected before the new engagement is made between the other connector and set of contacts, and, furthermore, the said connectors and spring-sockets are so arranged that either connector when disengaged can be placed in position to co-operate with any desired set of spring-sockets at the next movement of the actuating-handle, the said sets of sockets corresponding to the different dynamos or generators, so that while a circuit is being supplied from any one generator through the connection aiorded by one connector the other connector can be set in position to make con` nection between the said circuit and any other generator, and the shifting from the first to the second generator can be made in an instant without possibility of making a crossconnectiou between two generators at any time and preventing any arcing and burning of the contacts.

Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of an electric switch embodying this invention and the co-operating appliances commonly used therewith; Fig. 2, a front elevation thereof; Fig. 3, a front elevation of the set of stationary contacts or spring-sockets of the switch; Fig. 4, a side elevation thereof, partly in section, showing the actuator or 0perating-handle in the opposite position to that shown in Fig. l; Fig. 5, an elevation of one of the connectors as seen on the front of the switchboard, the parts that connect the same with the actuating-handle being shown in section on line x of Fig. 6; Fig. 6, a longitudinal section of the connections between the contacts and their actuatinghandle; Fig. 7, a similar section showing` the parts in a different position; Fig. 8, a detail showing one of the connectors in transverse section and a pair of spring-sockets in end elevation.

The switch forming the subject of this invention is shown as connected with a front frame-plate A, which may be a panel or slab of marble, slate, or other suitable non-conducting and incombustible material, in which may be mounted the appliances, such as the field or exciter switch B, rheostat C,arnmeter and voltmeter D E,and fuse-boxes F, said instruments being the same as commonly used in electric-supply stations and constituting no part of the present invention.

The operative parts of the switch forming the subject of this invention are connected partly with the front plate A and partly with a second plate A2, parallel with and at the rear ot the plate A, as shown in Fig. l, the said plate A2 carrying the several stationary contacts or spring-sockets, which project both at the rear and front of said plate, as shown in Figs. l, 3, and 4, and havesocket-springs at both sides of said plates, so that they are adapted to be engaged from both front and rear of the plate. The said sockets are symmetrically arranged around a central bearing a in said plate A2, and consist of an inner set ot pairs Z2 h2 of sockets and an outer set of corresponding pairs of sockets, (marked c c2 c3,&c.,) one pair of the outer; sockets corresponding to a pair of inner sockets and being arranged so that a connection can be made from the inner to the outer sockets of each pair by suitable connectors d d2, each of which connectors comprise a pair of bars or plates insulated from the remainder of the apparatus and adapted to be forced into the corresponding spring socket, so that one -pair makes connection from the inner socket b to the corresponding outer socket and the other from the inner socket b2 to the corresponding outer socket of lthe same pair. The several pairsof inner sockets have their respective members connected together, the sockets h of l all the pairs being connected together by wire 2 (see Fig. 3) and the sockets b2 of all the pairs being connected together by wire 3, so that an external circuit to be supplied with electricity, having its terminals connected with the wires 2 3, respectively, will have one terminal connected with one inner socket, as b, of each pair and the other terminal connected with the other inner socket b2 of each pair. The several pairs of outer contacts are connected by wires 4 5, each with a separate dynamo, so that the sockets of the pair c constitute the terminals of one dynamo, the sockets of the pair c2 of another dynamo, which may be called dynamo No. 2, the sockets of the pair c3 with the terminals of No. 3 dynamo, and so on, and consequently -if the sockets b b2 are connected with the pair of sockets c the circuit to be supplied will be connected with dynamo No. 1, while if the pair c3 of outer sockets is connected with the corresponding pair b b2 of inner sockets dynamo No. 3 will be connected with the circuit to be supplied, and so on.

In order to enable any desired pair of inner and outer sockets to be connected together and to insure that but one pair shall be connected atany one time,theconnectorsdd2have twomovements, one of `which may be called the selecting or adjusting movement, being made for each independently of the other, while the other movement may be called the shifting or operating movement, and is made substantially simultaneously for both connectors, being such that one is thrown out of contact by the same movement that throws the other into contact, the breaking of the contact being effected by the one just before the closing connection is made by the other.

The operating or shifting movement is made by an actuator or handle e, pivotally connected by links e2 with the main frame A, so that the said handle may hav e an oscillating movement toward and from the said frame, as indicated by the positions represented in Figs. 1 and 4. The said handle is, as shown in this instance, constructed in the form of an open frame or fork,(see Fig. 2,) having pivoted between its branches at f2 'an engaging head f, which is thus moved toward and from the frame-plate A as the said handle e is swung on the pivot e2 from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 4, the said engaging head or block f, being capable of retaining its position parallel with the plate A during such movement by turning on its pivot f2. The said head fis engaged at its opposite faces by disks h h2, the former of which is iixed upon a shaft t', passing through a suitable opening in the block f and being rigidly connected at its opposite' end with the shank d3 of the connector d, which co-operates with the spring-sockets at the rear side of the frame-plate A2. The disk h3 is rigidly connectedwith a sleeve or hollow shaft 2, which surrounds the shaft 1I and constitutes or is connected with the shank of the connector d2, thatco-operates'with the spring-sockets at the front side of the frameplate A2, the construction of the parts last described being best shown in Fig. 6. The shank portion d3 of the inner connector (l works in the bearing a, at the center of the frame-plate A2, and the hollow shaft 4.2 works in a similar bearing a2 in the outer frameplate A, both shafts being capable of having both rotary and longitudinal movement in their respective bearings. The adjacent ends of the shank portion d3 and hollow bearing shaft or sleeve t2 are counterbored or recessed, as shown, so as to afford a space around the shaft c', in which is contained a spring or preferably two springs 7a and an intermediate sleeve k2, which extends across the space left between the adjacent ends of the shank d3 and sleeve 2 for the purpose to be explained.

The pressure of the springs 7o tends to separate the shank d3 from the sleeve i2, and its effect is to hold both disks h h2 against the corresponding faces of the carrying -block f, which when moved by the handle e toward either of said disks tends to move it and. the corresponding shaft and connector in the direction to force the said connector in .to the set of contacts at that moment opposite to it, this constituting the operating or shifting movement of the connectors.

Referring to Fig. 3. it will be seen that the several sets of connectors are arranged in a circle around the bearing, and the selecting movement of the connectors d d2 is produced by rotating the same in their bearings in the plates A A2, so as to bring either connector in line with any desired set of sockets, this rotary movement being independent for the two connectors and their shafts. In order to properly determine such rotary movement of either shafts' or 2 when it is desired to change the position of the connectord or d2, the disks h h2 are provided with locking-notches h3, corresponding in position to the several sets of contacts, and the carrier-blockfis provided at one point withvalock (shown as a slide fm) provided with a suitable handle or knob m2, capable ofsliding transversely in the block f, so that it may be caused to project wholly from one face or wholly from the opposite face of said block, or partly from both faces. The purpose and mode of operation of these IOO IIO

parts will be best understood by describing the specific operation of the switch in a given case, referring to Figs. G and 7.

The switch is shown in Fig. 6 in the position occupied when the connector cl2 is in the set of sockets corresponding to dynamo No. l. Ifvnow it should be desired to shift the connection, so that the circuit connected with the inner pairs of contacts b b2 might be supplied from dynamo No. 3 instead of from dynamo No. l, the operation would be as follows: The lock m m2 would be slipped rearward, as shown in Fig. 6, so as to disengage the disk 7L, which could then be turned, as desired, and would be turned until its locking-notch (marked 3) was opposite to the said locking-slide m, which would then be moved outward, so as to enter the said notch in the disk h, and thereby lock the said disk with relation to the carrier-blockj", so as to prevent any further rotary movement. In this rotation of the disk 7L the rear connector d was turned with it, and as the notches in the disk h correspond in position and number to the several pairs of contacts the rotation of the disk 7L, which has been described, has placed the connector d in line with the pair of contacts c3, corresponding to dynamo No. 3. Then when it is desired to take dynamo No. l off from the circuit and substitute dynamo No. 3 it is merely necessary to move the handle e forward from the position shown in Fig. l to that shown in Fig. et. In such forward movement the block f will engage the disk 7L and will thus produce a corresponding positive outward movement of the shaft t' and of the connector d toward the spring-sockets then in line with said connector d. The other connector d2, owing to the fact that its hollow carrying-shaft i2 and disk h2 are not positively engaged with the handle e and carrying-block f, will remain held by friction in its set of spring-sockets d urin ga portion of the outward movement of the handle e, which will thus compress the springs liz-a condition which will continue if the adjacent hold of the contacts is suliicient until the adjacent ends of the shank d3 of the rear connector and shaft 712 of the front connector come into engagement, when the said front connector and its shaft will also be positively moved, and the moment that the frictional hold between the connector and spring-sockets is materially diminished the spring 713 will expand, and thus produce a sudden movement of theconnector d2 from the spring-sockets, opening the circuit without danger of drawing an arc, this movement taking place just before the rear connector d enters the sockets corresponding to dynamo No. S, so that no cross connection is afforded between the two dynamos, although the interval between the moment when No. l is disconnected from the circuit and No. 3 connected with it is so short as to be scarcely noticeable in the supplied circuit. The return movement of the handle e would produce the reverse operation, disconnecting the dynamo No. 3 and again connecting dynamo No. 1, or any other dynamo, if desired, the connector (Z2 being turned by its disk h2 to the position corresponding to such dynamo. ln this return or rearward movement of the actuator the disk h2, shaft t2, and connector d2 would first be positively moved, while the other connector would only be acted upon by the increasing pressure of the spring 7e up to the time that the parts and d3 engaged, when the positive followed by the spring movement of the conductor d would take place, as before described for the connector d2.

The invention is not limited to the specitic construction thus far described, as it is obvious that numerous modifications can be made without departing' from the main features of the inventiomwhich consist, mainly, in the employment of two connectors having an operating movement in common and an independent adjusting or selecting movement, and the co-operating stationary contacts or spring-sockets adapted to be engaged from opposite sides in the line of common movement ot' the two connectors, so that an engagement of one connector is accompanied by or rather preceded by a disengagement of the other connector, said spring-sockets being all in the path of the independent adjusting or selecting movement of the contacts, so that either connector may be brought into position to co-operate with any desired set of contacts.

rlhe terms front7 and rear have been used with relation to the position of the main frame-plates A and A2, and the terms inner7 and outer7 with relation to the concentric rows of contacts.

The specific construction of the springsockets and connectors is immaterial, that adopted in the present embodiment of the invention being shown clearly in the drawings, the said connectors each comprising, essentially, two bars or blades of conducting material supported in but insulated from arms that proj ect from their controlling-shafts, and

vthe stationary contacts consisting of or being provided with pairs of spring-fingers, between which the said blades are forced, so that each blade connects one inner and one outer springsocket.

I claiml. The combination of a number of stationary contacts with two contact-connectors, each capable of independent movement into position to engage any of said contacts that may be desired, and an actuator connected with both said connectors, whereby both are .actuated simultaneously, the said contacts being arranged with relation to said connectors, as described, whereby in the simultaneous movement of the connectors produced by the actuator one of said connectors is disengaged from and the other engaged with the contacts opposite which it is set, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of anumber of stationary contacts and the supporting-frame thcre- IOO TIO

for, said contacts being adapted to be engaged at each side of said frame with two connectors and carrying shafts therefor, said carrying-shafts being capable of independent rotary motion, and an actuator for moving both r.saidshafts longitudinally, whereby one connector is engaged with the stationary confacts at one side of their supporting-frame and the other connector disengaged from a set of contacts at the other side of the said supporting-frame, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the circularly-arranged sets ofcontacts with two connectors and concentric shafts therefor, having an independent movement whereby either of said connectors may be placed opposite any desired set of contacts, an actuator having a block to vengage said shafts and produce longitudinal movement thereof, and a lock for a spring interposed between the said shafts,

substantially as and for the purpose described. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. l

HALBERT K. HITCHCOCK. Witnesses:

CLINTON MCCLARTY, Trios. C. TIMBERLAKE. 

